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Internet BBSs A Guided Tour Richard Scott Mark 1996 | 400 pages ISBN: 132869985 |
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$34.95 | Softbound print book | |
Table of Contents
| A personal history of the BBS vii | ||
Acknowledgment xii |
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What is this book about? xiii |
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1 The Internet BBS 1 |
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| An obligatory definition 2 | ||
| The real cyberspace 3 | ||
| BBSs and the Internet 3 | ||
| BBSs are the Internet's virtual communities 4 | ||
| BBSs join the Internet 5 | ||
| A look ahead 6 | ||
2 Getting online with an Internet BBS 9 |
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| Making the right connection 10 | ||
| Dial-up access 10 | ||
| Using telnet to access Internet BBSs 11 | ||
| SLIP/PPP and telnet 12 | ||
| Configuring Winsock 13 | ||
| Using a telnet client directly 14 | ||
| Using telnet through a Web browser 16 | ||
| Using telnet through a shell account 17 | ||
| Connecting through a special client 18 | ||
| Telnetting through communications software 19 | ||
| The Web-based BBS: The future of BBSing? 21 | ||
| What can you do on a Web-based BBS? 21, BBSs on the Web 22 | ||
| Logging in to a BBS as a new user 25 | ||
| The new user sign-up process 25, Account verification 26, Becoming a full member 27, Subscription plans 27, Time-block plans 28 | ||
3 Using an Internet BBS 29 |
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| Online chat 30 | ||
| Private chat 31, Public chat 32, Chat networks 34, What do people talk about? 35, Chat jargon 35, Chat games 37 | ||
| Games 39 | ||
| Internet and BBS games 39, Game nets 40, Gaming co-ops 40, Commercial game connectivity 40, GUI games 41, Board games 41, Text adventures 42, Hack and slash 43, Arcade-style games 44, Word/knowledge games 45 | ||
| Files, files, and more files 47 | ||
| Downloading via the Internet 48, The basics of down-loading 52 | ||
| Message bases 63 | ||
| Getting started with message bases 64, Saving time and money using offline readers 64, Information and news 65 | ||
4 Starting points 67 |
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| Choosing your first BBS 68 | ||
| The general-purpose BBS: Point Blank BBS (pointblank.com) 69, Special interest starting points 72 | ||
5 The anatomy of a BBS listing 75 |
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| A guide to the ratings 77 | ||
The Internet BBS travelogue 80 - 312 |
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Appendix A Getting on the Internet 313 |
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| Choosing an Internet service provider (ISP) 313 | ||
| Types of Internet access 313 | ||
| SLIP/PPP 314, Shell 314, Integrated access 314 | ||
| Types of Internet features and functions 315 | ||
| Types of Internet service providers 316 | ||
| Major online services 316, National Internet service providers 317, Local Internet service providers 317, BBSs as Internet service providers 318 | ||
| How much does it cost? 319 | ||
| Making a choice 320 | ||
Appendix B Internet BBS summary list 321 |
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Appendix C Internet BBSs by location 337 |
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Appendix D Top-rated Internet BBSs by category 355 |
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Appendix E Are you a newbie? 365 |
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About the author 371 |
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Index 373 |
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Index of popular games 382 |
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DESCRIPTION
OK, so you use the Internet. You've surfed some Web sites and maybe sent e-mail. But, chances are, you've overlooked the rich and really personal dimension of the Internet represented by the explosive growth of Internet BBSs. That's because up till now BBS publications were limited in scope to the old era of dial-up BBSs.
Until recently the world of BBSs was geographically compartmentalized: in practical terms only the BBSs within a local telphone call were accessible. Now, the Internet has made all Internet BBSs accessible to anyone in the world. Internet BBSs: A Guided Tour provides in-depth coverage of this new world of true BBSs now available world-wide. It is a valuable resource for anyone currently using the Internet. Users of the major on-line service forums and chat groups should also read it to find out how they can access a much richer variety of BBSs at less cost.
What's Inside
- The Internet/BBS conection
- How to connect to Internet BBS and download files
- How to use BBS functions such as chat, games, message bases and information
- How to choose from over 500 BBSs those sites that suit you best
WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY ABOUT THIS BOOK...
"BBSs provide interesting 'off ramps' from the Internet just like the
off-ramps from an expressway; this book will help you find and take
the 'off ramp' you're looking for."
--Robert Bricker, Worldnet Ohio (worldnetoh.com)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR...
Richard Scott Mark has been actively involved with BBSs since 1982. In 1987 he started his own BBS which became in 1994 one of the first to become accessible on the Internet. Richard is the maintainer of an authoritative, Web-based list of Internet BBSs. He is a certified network engineer and manages a large wide area network for the state of Florida.